Saturday, February 23, 2008

This tea was a gift from a friend of mine. I'm not quite sure where it is from as the vendor name seems to return quite a few hits on google (for obvious reasons). This tea comes packaged in a tin which, interestingly does not form an airtight seal once opened. During packaging and shipping it looks as though there is a somewhat airtight seal created through a few precisely fitted metal pieces. The main can portion holds a smaller cup for holding the stainless steel infuser that comes with the tea, which is then topped by a lid. The lid and the can itself fit together, but do not have an airtight seal, simply the tape / stickers holding it in place.

Everything about this tea seemed to be quite average. The aroma was what I have come to expect from a white peony aka Bai Mu Dan. It has the normal sweetness of a smell as other white teas do, and the somewhat normal strength of smell compared to a silver needle. The color was also quite representative of a Bai Mu Dan.

The taste of this tea as well was well, quite average. It has the appropriate sweetness and strength of a Bai Mu Dan, with little to no astringency and no bitterness. This tea is really neither remarkable nor does it have any great faults.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: While this tea is not remarkable, it does not seem to contain any particular faults. The lack of particularly good packaging seems to not have effected this tea. This is a good baseline white tea for any wishing to try out or know the traits of a white tea. For those who know what white tea is like, you know what this tea is like.